Page 6 of Ace of Spades
“Hi, mom.”
My mother is the kind of woman to make heads turn without even trying. And it’s not because she’s loud or flashy, but because she’s polished to absolute perfection.
She’ll tell you she was raised on the land, that her daddy taught her to ride before she could walk, but I hadn’t seen that side of her ever since dad’s company blew up, and she seemed to change overnight. Gone were the days of trail rides and picnics, her new version of ranch life revolving around catered luncheons instead. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen her around a horse unless it was being used as a photo op.
Her perfectly bleached blonde hair was styled into shoulder-length waves, a stark contradiction to the nearly waist-length jet-black shade of my own. Her nails are long, almond-shaped, and always freshly manicured, and she dresses like she should be on the cover of a western magazine. Western-chic, she calls it.
“So right here we have the main building,” my dad tells us, pointing to one of the renderings shown on his laptop screen as my mom and I hover behind him. “You can see where the spa and workout center will be. The restaurant is going to be in this back corner over here, with stunning views of the mountains.”
“Oh, how wonderful,” mom says.
Gracie saunters into the kitchen, a soft smile gracing her lips as she spots me.
“Would you like some coffee, Hailey?”
“Please,” I tell her. There was no such thing as too much coffee.
“Then over here we have the guest lodges, and out this way will be where we’ll have the VIP cabins for exclusive members. What do you guys think—do you love it?”
“I love it, dad.”
“Fantastic work, William. When does construction start?”
“Should start any day now, we’re just waiting on a few more permits. And to add to the amazing news, I managed to snag that trailer park in town.”
“The one that was keeping you from building the private airport?”
“That’s the one! The owner of the property was heavily in debt, so we made him a more than generous offer that he just couldn’t refuse. We still have a few difficulties to work through since there are still ongoing leases, but we should have it figured out soon.”
“That’s amazing honey.”
“That’s great,” I tell him.
Gracie walks back to the table, placing a cup of coffee in front of me—no cream or sugar, just how I like it. She and Levi had been with our family for a few years now, long enough for her to know my drink order by heart.
“How was your rodeo?” she asks.
Mom and Dad turn from the laptop to face me, as if finally remembering the reason I had been gone all weekend.
“Of course, I completely forgot! How did you do?” Dad asks.
“I didn’t place in the breakaway roping, but I got first in barrels.”
“Oh, sweetie! Congratulations, you must be ecstatic,” mom tells me.
“I am. Casino really pulled it off, she’s definitely a rocket.”
“Well, she outta be with the price I paid for her,” my dad scoffs.
“Did you have someone video it? Brad was there, wasn’t he?”
“Scott said he and his partner placed third in the team roping,” my dad chimes in. Scott was Brad’s father and dad’s business partner, the two of them having gotten quite close since starting the company.
“He didn’t get to watch, our events were too close together,” I lie.
“Bummer.”
“Maybe you guys could come watch me compete soon?”
